St. Paul man charged with murder

A St. Paul man is being charged with murder after Shelbyville police responded to a disconnect call, where they found a deceased female in a small room that was in between the main house and the garage.

Derick A. Nigh, 27, was charged with felony murder, as well as one count of carrying a handgun without a permit (a Class A misdemeanor) and theft (a Level 6 felony).

Police found the woman, Jennifer Farquer, in a fetal position with blood coming from her left ear. Nigh was near the scene and had scratches on his face and what appeared to be blood on his pants. Officers also noticed a bulge around his left ankle and he was placed in handcuffs.

Police found a Smith and Wesson 9 mm loaded handgun that had what appeared to be blood on it in his pant leg. They also found additional 9 mm bullets in his pockets.

Nigh’s father, Eric Nigh, and Carrie Hallgarth told police that a pistol had been stolen and that pistol matched the make, model and serial number in Nigh’s possession.

An autopsy performed on Sept. 1 by the forensic pathologist found that Farquer died from a single gunshot wound to the head, which entered the left ear and was removed during the autopsy.

It was determined that the gun was at a distance from Farquer’s head based on the “lack of burns and stippling from the wound,” according to the affidavit. Her death was determined to be a homicide by the forensic pathologist.

Police spoke with the owner of the house where Farquer’s body was found. He told police he awoke at 8 a.m. and saw Nigh sitting in his living room watching television and drinking.

He said Nigh eventually admitted that he had shot her, but the owner did not believe him and went to find her, according to the affidavit. He found her on the couch, attempted to wake her up and called 911.

Nigh told police that he and Farquer had been in an argument and admitted to backhanding her, but denied shooting her. He also denied knowing that she had been shot.

Nigh has a prior felony conviction for auto theft earlier this year in Marion County. As a result, he did not have a permit to carry a handgun, according to the affidavit.

The Shelbyville Police Department originally reported it was investigating a suspicious death at a resident the day of the incident. They arrested Nigh that day on an initial charge of a felon in possession of a firearm.